Networks uncertain on Nevada coverage

1/31/12 9:21 PM EST

BuzzFeed's John Ellis writes tonight that Mitt Romney's victory in Florida signals the death knell for the media circus that has been incessant since Iowa.

"[T]onight, word will come down from the executive suites," Ellis writes. "Florida is definitive! Romney wins! Coverage of the campaign will adjust accordingly... No more man-to-man coverage of Santorum. No more man-to-man coverage of Paul. No more man-to-man coverage of Gingrich. Only Romney gets the full treatment."

That may be premature. Ellis believes that the networks will pack up their "on-site primary sets" and broadcast future contests from their studios. And indeed, a Fox News spokesperson told me that while they will have a reporter on the ground, their production will emanate out of New York, as it has since South Carolina. But spokespeople with both MSNBC and CNN, which broadcast many of their programs from the early primary states, say it's too soon to call. (This despite the fact that Nevada holds its caucuses on Saturday.)

As for waning man-to-man coverage though, there are a few factors working against Ellis's argument -- namely, the other candidates. Gingrich has pledged to carry the contest all the way to the convention. "This will now be a two person race," Gingrich said during his speech tonight. "We are going to contest every place, and we are going to win, and we will be in Tampa as the nominee in August." He may not follow through on that promise, but he certainly looks set to continue at least through Nevada.

Santorum has already set up shop in Las Vegas, and promises to fight for victory there. "I think [voters] are going to be looking for a different conservative alternative now," he told CNN's Dana Bash from his Vegas headquarters, shortly after Romney's speech.

"We've only just started," Ron Paul promised during his own speech.

Many mediaites believe that Romney is "the all but certain nominee," as ABC's George Stephanopoulos put it tonight. He may be. But the fireworks that spur media coverage -- and ratings -- still await the networks in Las Vegas. Reporters won't have any problem substituting a neck-and-neck narrative with one in which Gingrich self-destructs, or Santorum makes a spirited last stand. The media wants drama, as John Heilemann noted earlier this week. As long as the other contestants stay in, they still have that.

NOTE: This post has been updated to more comprehensively reflect the nature of the networks' Nevada coverage.